BEDFORD, N.Y. – Bedford resident Heather Kramer Giordano will be recognized for her extraordinary compassion as a nurse Sunday, Nov. 17 in the annual “Join the Voices! Run/Walk” in Central Park, which begins at 8:30 a.m.

Giordano is an adult nurse practitioner who worked at Weill Cornell Medical Center for more than three years. During her time at Cornell, she worked very closely with neuro-oncology patients and their families, providing clinical and supportive care, while offering hope and compassion.

Presently, she works in a hematology/oncology practice affiliated with White Plains Hospital. On Sunday, she will receiver the Voices Against Brain Cancer “Compassionate Care Award.”

“I am so honored to be receiving this award,” Giordano said.

“It came as such a surprise. This award means much more than acknowledgment of a job well done. It means that I have been successfully caring for patients and families during the most difficult times in their lives. It means a feeling of gratitude that my patients have allowed me to be an integral part of their care. This recognition is an affirmation of why I became a nurse practitioner,” she added.

When asked about the favorite part of her job, it is no wonder Giordano is receiving an award based on compassion.

“My favorite part of my job is getting to know my patients and their families beyond their illness,” she said. “I see them on such a frequent basis that I get to know them on a deeper, more personal level like what they like to do for fun or their favorite places to go. Their appointments become almost a social visit with a little bit of medical follow-up and advice thrown in.”

The annual “Join the Voices! Run/Walk” event pays tribute to Fred Lebow, the founder of the ING New York City Marathon who passed away from brain cancer in 1994, by giving a grant in his honor. The charitable event will feature a five-mile run, a scenic health walk, kids races and a fun family festival. Television, stage, and screen icon Tony Danza will act as the official Master of Ceremonies for the third year in a row.
Proceeds from this year’s “Join the Voices! Run/Walk” event will go towards the advancement of brain cancer research, as a testament of hope for the people in the world who are diagnosed with brain tumors. To make a donation or participate in the “Join the Voices! Run/Walk,” visit
www.jointhevoicesnyc.org
.